Books — whether they are mystery series, love stories, fantasy epics, or shocking nonfiction tales — have always served as major inspiration for TV shows, and 2023 is no different. The year in television has already brought new shows, limited series, and seasons based on bestselling novels, and there are still a few shows waiting to make their debut in the last few months of the year.
Up next, there's Netflix's epic adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "All the Light We Cannot See" and AppleTV+'s take on Edith Wharton's "The Buccaneers." Plus, the first 10 months of the year have given us an adaptation of "Lessons in Chemistry" starring Brie Larson; a new season of "Shadow and Bone [1]," based on the Grishaverse novels; "Daisy Jones & The Six," based on the BookTok-favorite novel [2]; "The Last Thing He Told Me," starring Jennifer Garner [3]; and the second season of "The Summer I Turned Pretty," based on Jenny Han's "It's Not Summer Without You." [4]
Unfortunately, some of the year's most anticipated releases have been bumped to 2024. Namely, "Bridgerton [5]" season three — which is based on the book "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton [6]" — was originally set for a 2023 release date, but now it appears that the show may have been pushed back, possibly due to the ongoing actors' strike [7]. "Season three will be coming out next year. That's been in the can for a while," Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, told Digital Spy [8] on Oct. 6. "And with each season, the show gets slightly more fabulous. It gets more complex." Still, there's always a chance Netflix could still surprise us with an early release.
Regardless, 2023 has still given us a lot of memorable releases. If you are a completist and want to check out these books before or alongside the shows they've inspired, you're in luck. Ahead, there are 18 shows based on books coming to TV and streaming in 2023.
"All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
"All the Light We Cannot See" [10] ($12, originally $18)
Anthony Doerr's novel tells a World War II story; he won the Pulitzer Prize for the work back in 2015. It follows two characters: Marie-Laure Leblanc, a blind French girl who fled Paris because of the Nazi occupation, and Werner Pfennig, a German boy who's fascinated by radio technology. The four-part Netflix series [11] stars Aria Mia Loberti, Mark Ruffalo [12], Hugh Laurie, Louis Hofmann, Lars Eidinger, and Andrea Deck.
Premiere Date: Nov. 2 on Netflix
"The Buccaneers" by Edith Wharton
"The Buccaneers" [13] ($17)
Edith Wharton's "The Buccaneers" was her last novel; it was unfinished when she died in 1937, though it was later finished based on notes in her outline. The story follows five wealthy and ambitious American girls in the 1870s who head to London for the season to find English husbands. The new series stars Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Aubri Ibrag, Christina Hendricks, and "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" star Josh Dylan.
Premiere Date: Nov. 8 on Apple TV+
"Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus
"Lessons in Chemistry" [14] ($15, originally $29)
Bonnie Garmus's "Lessons in Chemistry" is a major bestseller, so it's no surprise that Apple TV+ wanted to adapt it into a series. The show [15], set in the 1950s, stars Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, an aspiring scientist whose path gets knocked off course when she gets pregnant. Now a single mom, she pivots to cooking, but her dreams of chemistry cannot be forgotten. The show also stars Lewis Pullman and Aja Naomi King.
Watch "Lessons in Chemistry" on AppleTV+. [16]
"The Other Black Girl" by Zakiya Dalila Harris
"The Other Black Girl" [17] ($11, originally $17)
"The Other Black Girl" is Zakiya Dalila Harris's debut novel, released in 2021. It follows a woman who is the only Black person [18] working at a publishing company. When another Black woman is hired, her relationships start to change, and soon, she's questioning everything. The series stars Sinclair Daniel, Ashleigh Murray, Brittany Adebumola, Hunter Parrish, Bellamy Young, and Garcelle Beauvais.
Watch "The Other Black Girl" on Hulu. [19]
"The Changeling" by Victor LaValle
"The Changeling" [20] ($14, originally $18)
Victor LaValle's 2017 novel "The Changeling" blends fantasy and horror as it tells the tale of a father whose wife commits a terrible act after giving birth and disappears. The TV series stars LaKeith Stanfield as Apollo, "The 100"'s Adina Porter as his mother, and Clark Backo as Emmy, his wife.
Watch "The Changeling" on AppleTV+. [21]
The Will Trent Series by Karin Slaughter
"Triptych" [22] ($18)
The Will Trent book series by Karin Slaughter follows Georgia Bureau of Investigation detective Will Trent as he investigates crimes in Atlanta. The book series features 10 mysteries and begins with "Triptych." ABC has adapted these stories into a new show, "Will Trent," starring Ramón Rodríguez as the titular detective who always gets to the bottom of the mystery at hand. Trent, who was raised in foster care, has the highest clearance rate in the GBI. Rodríguez is joined by Iantha Richardson, Jake McLaughlin, and Sonja Sohn.
Watch "Will Trent" on Hulu. [23]
The Mayfair Witches Series by Anne Rice
"The Witching Hour" [24] ($10)
"Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches" is the second series from AMC based on books by the legendary author. Rice's "The Witching Hour," "Lasher," and "Taltos" are the basis for the new show. The show stars Alexandra Daddario as Dr. Rowan Fielding, Harry Hamlin as Cortland Mayfair, Tongayi Chirisa as Ciprien Grieve, and Jack Huston as Lasher.
Watch "The Mayfair Witches" on AMC+. [25]
"Daisy Jones & The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
"Daisy Jones & the Six" [26] ($10, originally $17)
"Daisy Jones & The Six" is Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestselling novel that's formatted as a fictional oral history of the titular fake band. The series [27] from Prime Video adapts this story of friendship, love, family, and loss — and also features original songs performed by the cast. Riley Keough stars as Daisy Jones and is joined by Camila Morrone, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse, Nabiyah Be, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, Sebastian Chacon, and Tom Wright.
Watch "Daisy Jones & The Six" on Prime Video. [28]
"The Power" by Naomi Alderman
"The Power" [30] ($8)
Naomi Alderman's 2016 novel, "The Power," is a science-fiction novel where women suddenly develop the ability to send electric shocks through their fingers. That capability lets them become the dominant sex, creating a matriarchal society. The 10-episode series adapting the novel stars Toni Collette, Auli'i Cravalho, John Leguizamo, and Toheeb Jimoh.
Watch "The Power" on Prime Video. [31]
"Seige and Storm" by Leigh Bardugo
"Siege and Storm" [32] ($8, originally $11)
Netflix's "Shadow and Bone [33]" adapts the novels of the Grishaverse, created by Leigh Bardugo. Season one, which aired in 2021, adapted events from the first novel, "Shadow and Bone," as well as events from Bardugo's related book series, Six of Crows. Season two covered events from the second novel, "Siege and Storm," and also the third novel, "Ruin and Rising." That's the last book in the trilogy, so it's not clear yet what that means for the series going forward. Netflix has yet to renew or cancel the project.
Watch "Shadow and Bone" season two on Netflix. [34]
"Tiny Beautiful Things" by Cheryl Strayed
"Tiny Beautiful Things" [35] ($12, originally $17)
"Tiny Beautiful Things" is Cheryl Strayed's book of advice columns [36] from when she answered letters as Dear Sugar. In the television show, Kathryn Hahn plays Clare, the advice columnist who goes by Dear Sugar. As her own life falls apart, she tries to help others and tap into feelings of connection and love. Merritt Wever plays her mom in flashbacks.
Watch "Tiny Beautiful Things" on Hulu now. [37]
"The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave
"The Last Thing He Told Me [39] ($12, originally $18)
Laura Dave's "The Last Thing He Told Me" tells the story of Hannah, whose husband goes missing, putting them all in danger. Hannah — played by Jennifer Garner [40] in the series — is determined to protect her stepdaughter (Angourie Rice) and find her husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau [41]). The limited series is another book-based project from Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine banner [42].
Watch "The Last Thing He Told Me" on Apple TV+. [43]
"Wool" by Hugh Howey
"Wool" [44] ($14, originally $20)
Hugh Howey's Silo series is now a series on Apple TV+. The dystopian, sci-fi series, which premiered this May, has an all-star cast including Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Robbins, Rashida Jones, David Oyelowo, and Common.
Watch "Silo" on Apple TV+ [45]
"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
"Great Expectations" [46] ($23, originally $25)
Steven Knight wrote a new adaptation of Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations" for FX. The series's cast features Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham, Fionn Whitehead as Pip, and Matt Berry as Mr. Pumblechuck. Knight previously adapted "A Christmas Carol" for FX as a miniseries in 2019.
Watch "Great Expectations" on Hulu. [47]
"City on Fire" by Garth Risk Hallberg
"City on Fire" [48] ($14, originally $20)
Garth Risk Hallberg's 2015 novel, "City on Fire," tells a sprawling story of New Yorkers in the 1970s during a blackout. The new TV series changes the setting to 2003 (and the real blackout that happened then). The cast includes Wyatt Oleff, Chase Sui Wonders [49], Jemima Kirke, Nico Tortorella, and Ashley Zukerman.
Watch "City on Fire" on Apple TV+. [50]
"American Born Chinese" by Gene Luen Yang
"American Born Chinese" [51] ($12, originally $15)
Gene Luen Yang's "American Born Chinese" is a 2006 graphic novel about growing up in America as a child of immigrants. The TV series [52] focuses on Jin Wang, an average teenager whose life is shaken up when he meets a new student. Together, they get caught in a battle between Chinese mythological gods. The cast includes Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu.
Watch "American Born Chinese" on Disney+. [53]
"The Minds of Billy Milligan" by Daniel Keyes
"The Minds of Billy Milligan" [54] ($9)
Daniel Keyes's "The Minds of Billy Milligan" tells the true story of its title character, a man with multiple personalities who is charged with heinous crimes. He believes his personalities committed those crimes. The book serves as the inspiration for Apple TV+'s new miniseries "The Crowded Room." [55] Tom Holland [56] stars as Danny Sullivan, based on Milligan but charged with different crimes.
Watch "The Crowded Room" on Apple TV+. [57]
"It's Not Summer Without You" by Jenny Han
"It's Not Summer Without You" [58] ($9, originally $12)
The second season of Prime Video's "The Summer I Turned Pretty" [59] is based on the second novel in the Jenny Han series, titled "It's Not Summer Without You." Season two actually follows the plot of the book (and its central romance) pretty closely, though it does have some major differences [60] when it comes to the secondary characters.
Watch "The Summer I Turned Pretty" season two on Prime Video. [61]